Well, it's been quite a whirlwind in my world for the last few weeks. With a two-week taper for Boston nearing an end, my friend who recently moved to South Africa came back into town prior to us flying to Boston for the race. I made it through the taper without going stir-crazy, and actually learned that I like a two-week taper much better than the typical three-week taper. (I probably don't have to tell you, then, that I don't ever want to have a four-week taper!)
After staging everything I thought I might need--most of which was running gear--and then actually getting it into a suitcase (except for the critical running gear I'd need on race day, of course!), I headed to Beantown with my friend, both of us hardly believing that we were actually going to run the Boston Marathon! I have to add that there were several other runners who were obviously going to run Boston on our flight out of DIA that morning. It was interesting to share the camaraderie of knowing that we were all going to the same place for the same purpose--even if we didn't speak or exchange more than a "good luck" to each other.
 |
| Southwest 2907, take us to Boston! |
 |
| Marguerite & I are ready to go! |
"Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too." (Richard O'Brien)
Once we reached Boston, checked into our hotel, and had a good dinner at a nearby restaurant, we tried to get a good night's sleep. The next morning, Saturday, we decided to do our final, "shake-out" run, an easy 3-miler, along the Charles River, which was just a few blocks from our hotel. As we ran, talked, and just enjoyed the scenery and each other's company (after all, there's nothing quite like running with a close friend), we passed other pairs of runners, solo runners, and even a large group of runners, all out doing their final pre-race runs as well. In those moments, I couldn't help but sense a kindred spirit between all of us running the pathway along the river, for despite the fact that we each had followed our own individual training plan, we shared enough in common to understand what it took just to get here...the long weekend runs, 18, 20, 22, 24 miles...the typically-solo-early-morning / evening / lunchtime runs squeezed into an already packed schedule...the freezing, pre-dawn sessions with your speedwork group where you're demanding difficult things of your body before non-running friends and co-workers have even thought about that first cup of coffee...the nutrition...the cross-training...the aches and pains of daily training...the frustrations of a training stretch not going so well, and the joys of training going better than planned...and the races. Each of us had to run a qualifying time in an earlier marathon to even be considered for entry into the 2011 Boston Marathon. I thought about my friend, who'd consistently kept up her distance and speedwork training and racing through an international move and all the frustrations that come with it, often logging her long runs in the pouring rain, usually solo, and driving an hour each way just to reach an area where she could run safely in a new country. Yes, whether I knew you very well or not at all, I could appreciate what you've been through just to make it to the starting line of the Boston Marathon.
Following our shake-out run, we got ready and walked over to the race expo at the Haynes Convention Center. For my non-running friends out there, the race expo for your marathon is where you pick up your race packet, which has, among other things, your official bib and timing chip, as well as your official race shirt. So, every runner is inherently required to go the the expo to (at the very least) pick up these critical items. (In this case, the timing device was built into our bib, so we didn't have to worry about attaching a chip or d-loop to our shoes. I like that new trend in races, because it's one less thing you have to fiddle with.) The tricky thing about marathon expos is that there are tons of other things to see, do, and try there, as well as purchase, but those who are racing need to limit the amount of time on their feet before race day. As a result, many runners often try to attend the expo two days before the race, if possible. If you're not running, however, you can also attend the race expo, since it's usually open to the public as well as to the runner.
Mindful of wanting to save our energy, we walked the expo with a time in mind to call it quits for the day. Of course, we had to do a bit of shopping, and particularly had to be sure to go to the official Adidas area where we could get any and all things that were officially licensed 2011 Boston Marathon apparel...especially The Jacket! I think it's safe to say that whether a runner buys anything else or not, he or she will buy The Jacket. By that, I mean The Official 2011 Boston Marathon Jacket. This year's model is a sleek black with green stripes on the shoulders and down the arms, and had the official Boston Marathon logo on the front and back. It's been quite controversial, as the logo wasn't embroidered this year, as is typical, but rather screen-printed, and the BAA and Adidas have probably heard a lot of "input", shall we say, about it. Nonetheless, both Marguerite and I wanted to get The Jacket. Once secured (yes, along with other purchases--what else did you expect?), we neatly folded them and put them into our bags. It's bad luck to wear The Jacket before you finish The Race. One tip, here, for anyone who might be reading this who has yet to run your first marathon: enjoy the expo, but be aware of and careful about what food/drink samples you might try there. This is because 1) there are usually lots of them and 2) the last thing you want to do in the day or two before your race is to eat or drink lots of things your system isn't used to. As our coach put it, "now's not the time to try anything new"! We did take the time at the KT Tape booth to both get any pieces-parts that had been bothering us during training taped, and I have to give a shout out to Dr. Billy Kuykendall of the Airrosti Rehab Centers in Dallas (www.airrosti.com) for the expert tape job on my left calf. He not only did a great job, but also took the time to explain how to duplicate it if I needed to do so. And so, taped up, packets in hand, and a few bucks poorer, we finished at the expo, ate a fantastic seafood dinner at the Atlantic Fish Company, and walked the few blocks back to our hotel in Back Bay. It was time to call it a night. Another tip: Tonight's sleep--two nights prior to race day--would be the most important in the days immediately prior to the race. Why? Because you're usually so keyed up the night before your marathon that you don't rest well anyway! |
No comments:
Post a Comment